Why does Korean Air weigh its passengers before boarding the plane?

(CNN) — boarding pass? ready. Identification card? ready. Weight? Weight!

Passengers flying Korean Air in the coming weeks may have one more step to take before boarding the plane: standing on the scale.

However, the new policy is not intended to embarrass anyone. Korean Air is one of the many airlines around the world that are required to obtain aircraft weight data on a regular basis.

According to an announcement by the airline, the program will affect some passengers departing from Gimpo International Airport (GMP) from August 28 to September 3 and Incheon International Airport (ICA) from September 8 to 19.

Passengers and baggage will be weighed anonymously, and the data will be shared with the country’s Ministry of Territory, Infrastructure and Transport.

If a passenger prefers not to have their weight data collected, Korean Air confirms that they can opt out by notifying a staff member.

Although some travelers may be surprised when asked to step on the scale, this decision is not made by the airlines, but rather by government regulatory agencies.

Earlier this year, Air New Zealand ran a similar program with some of its customers traveling on its international routes, such as the long route between Auckland and New York’s JFK.

“We know using a scale can be daunting. We want to assure our customers that there is no visible screen anywhere. No one can see your weight, not even us,” a representative for Air New Zealand, New Zealand’s national airline. The United States said at the time.

Once the data is collected, it helps airlines make decisions about fuel needs and weight distribution on board.